


Be Still My Little Heart

by Lunatical



Category: The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom, Thumbelina (1994)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Thumbelina Fusion, Bad Puns, Cute, Fairies, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Humor, Love at First Sight, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-28
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-05-16 17:03:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19322398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunatical/pseuds/Lunatical
Summary: A beautiful boy was asleep in the flower, his hair the color of gold and his skin as pure as the lily from which he’d been born. And when he opened his eyes, they were as clear as the sky, and twice as beautiful. And he could not have been bigger than a thumb, from the tips of his golden hair to the bottom of his perfect feet, and Sarah loved him more than anything else in the world.***(a Thumbelina AU)





	Be Still My Little Heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BeenAsleepFor70Years](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeenAsleepFor70Years/gifts).



Once upon a time, there was a lovely woman by the name of Sarah Rogers who lived on a small farm in the middle of many fields. She was fair and gentle and loving, but she was also lonely, all by herself on her little farm.

There was nothing the woman wanted more than having a child, but Sarah had never married, and thus she could not have a baby.

One day, as she was gathering some wood in the forest, she stumbled across a witch, who felt that Sarah was unhappy and asked how she may help.

Sarah told the witch of her desire for a child to raise on her lovely little farm, so the witch gave her a seed and told her to plant it and nurture it as though it were her own child, and promised that all her woes would disappear if she did as the witch had asked.

Thanking her profusely, Sarah went home and planted the seed, and gave it water and warm sunlight, and waited with baited breath to see what would happen. And before her very eyes, the seed grew and blossomed into a beautiful lily, perfectly white, with its petals tightly shut as though hiding a treasure inside them.

Enamored, Sarah placed a soft kiss onto the flower, wishing with all her might to finally have a child. And the flower sparkled and trembled and slowly opened, revealing what was inside.

A beautiful boy was asleep in the flower, his hair the color of gold and his skin as pure as the lily from which he’d been born. And when he opened his eyes, they were as clear as the sky, and twice as beautiful. And he could not have been bigger than a thumb, from the tips of his golden hair to the bottom of his perfect feet, and Sarah loved him more than anything else in the world.

She named him Steven, a name as regal as he was, and loved him as her own son.

And this, my dear friends, is where our story begins.

***

***

“Mom?”

Steve knocked on the window pane, waiting for a response. When none came, he huffed, jumping up onto the wooden frame and testing to see if the window was open.

The window wobbled a bit, but didn’t move.

With a sigh, he braced his feet and placed his hands against the seam, pushing with all his might. For a couple of seconds, nothing happened, and for one terrible moment he thought his mother might have truly shut him out…

And then the window flew open, almost hitting the wall behind it and sending Steve tumbling inside.

“Steven!”

Ah, there she was, staring at him with a frown on her face. Sarah was holding a wooden spoon, and Steve realized she had grabbed it when he startled her – her fingers were all sticky with the dough she was making, and the smell of beef, cooking over the fire, was enough to make his mouth water.

“Sorry, Ma,” he said, not sorry at all. “The window was shut and you didn’t hear me calling.”

Sarah relaxed, putting the spoon down.

“Oh, don’t apologize. I’m afraid I was too focused on cooking and not enough on listening.”

Steve smiled at her to let her know he wasn’t upset, and closed the window with a little more care than he had when opening it.

Then, with a whoop, he took a running start and jumped from the window, to the table, and finally onto her back, climbing up with ease once he landed on the soft wool of her shawl. Her lips pursed as if to reprimand him, but then she smiled and shook her head. Her eyes were sparkling, though, and Steve knew she would never tire of his antics.

She had been worried about his recklessness at first, back when Steve was still little – well, littl _er_  – but as he grew up, they realized he could do things that were truly incredible relative to his size.

_You’re as strong as an ant_ , Sarah would tell him, or  _not even grasshoppers can jump as well as you can_ , and  _only a butterfly would be so unafraid of heights_.

Steve would smile and laugh and shrug, and continue to leap off too-high things and lift stuff too heavy for anyone his size, reckless and brave as he was.

He snuggled a little bit closer to her neck, enjoying her warmth and the delicious smell of her cooking.

“Are you making beef stew pie?” he asked, hopeful.

“Yes, love.”

Steve let out a “Yay!”, smacking a kiss onto her cheek and smiling when it made her laugh.

“Will you read me a story after dinner, Ma?”

Sarah gently caressed his head with her pinky, the only finger that was somewhat free of dough.

“Of course I will, Steven.”

“Can you read me the one about the fairies? I want to draw the illustrations in the book.”

“Sure. I’ll leave it open on your table when I’m done, but please don’t stay up too late to draw,” she added, glancing at Steve with a bemused smile. “I know how you get when you have a pencil in your hands.”

Steve sighed and nodded demurely, the perfect picture of an obedient son.

Sarah snorted.

“Now climb down, I have to finish cooking this pie, and we both remember what happened the last time you tried to watch me cook from my shoulder. I’d rather not have my lovely son as part of my beef stew, thank you very much.”

With only some minor pouting, Steve jumped onto her hand when she offered it and accepted the ride all the way down to the table, settling in to watch as she carefully assembled their dinner.

He allowed his mind to wander, fantasizing about the existence of other little people like him. They were nothing but fairytales, he knew, but he couldn’t help but imagine what life would be like if he weren’t so lonely in his tiny little world.

He thought of the handsome fairy prince from his book and sighed wistfully. Oh, how he wished to meet someone like him.

***

“Maria, where is our son?”

Maria sighed, fixing her hair one last time before stepping onto the carriage. Every creature in the castle was flying around in a nervous hurry, checking the last few touches before the annual Golding of the Leaves took place.

“I don’t know, Howard,” she replied, ignoring his angry muttering.

She handed him his golden wand, readying her own and bracing herself as the butterflies began to move. She felt her husbands’ magic curl around the carriage and slowly levitate it, lifting it until the butterflies could fly more easily and propel it forward.

“You know he hates these things,” she tried to reason with Howard as the doors were opened. The sound of the trumpets was loud enough to cover their conversation, anyways. “He’s young. He has time to change. You remember how you were at his age, too busy chasing pretty flowers to take your duties seriously, don’t you? Tony’s a good kid, and he’ll be a good king too.”

Howard huffed. “Not if he continues to ignore his duties, he won’t.”

“He was here for the First Blossoming, and he did an amazing job with the Night of Shooting Stars. You know he’s also been working on a new Veil for the kingdom. Let him have this one night of fun.”

Howard sighed, but relented, and she knew he’d listen to her this time. She would have kissed him, both as a thank you and as positive reinforcement, but they’d already left the castle by then; they had a job to do.

As she painted nature with golden strokes, admiring the spectacle of a thousand fairies glittering through the sky, she heard the unmistakable sound of a bumblebee racing ahead.

With a soft smile and a shake of her head, she went back to her duties.

***

Tony let out a whoop of delight as he completed a barrel roll, the adrenaline pumping through his veins making him giddy and excited.

He leaned closer to his bumblebee, trying to be more aerodynamic and go even faster than they already were. He rubbed his hands onto the bumble’s soft fur, spreading some more of his magic, and Dum-e let out a few excited buzzes before using Tony’s magic to get another speed boost.

Tony couldn’t help the laugh that escaped his mouth. He steered Dum-e towards some trees, dodging and looping around the branches before breaking through the treetops again. Tony glanced behind them, grinning when he saw the glittering trail of his magic turning the leaves golden.

“This is so much better than a butterfly-carriage,” he said, patting his loyal bumblebee on the side.

Dum-e buzzed again before banking hard to the left, towards what seemed to be a farm, and Tony let out a squeak when that almost sent him flying off his steed. Using his wings, he managed to right himself, but only barely.

He flicked the top of Dum-e’s head in annoyance. “You could have dropped me, you heathen! I swear, one of these days I’m going to put you on Guard duty, see if you like carrying soldiers with heavy armor all day!”

Dum-e buzzed again, this time a bit sadder and more contrite, and Tony couldn’t help but pat him on the head in reassurance.

He was about to suggest they visit the waterfalls, hoping to cheer his buddy up, when he noticed a soft light coming from one of the farm’s windows. Intrigued, he silently motioned for Dum-e to go investigate.

Why was someone still awake this late at night?

Dum-e slowed down until Tony could safely hop off outside the window. Cautiously making his way closer, he noted that the window had been left slightly open, and that someone could be heard singing quietly inside.

When he finally was close enough to see, Tony gasped in amazement.

“And who are you?” he breathed softly, placing his hands on the glass and staring in awe at the man inside.

He was small, just like a fairy, but he didn’t have wings and he was dressed weirdly – almost like a human. The man was holding what looked like a worn-up pencil in his hands, humming softly as he scribbled on a big piece of paper on the table. He stepped back after a second, examining his drawing, before moving towards a book that was propped up and left open on the table.

The page it had been left on was a big illustration of a mushroom-house with a smiling fairy beside it. Tony had never seen fairy towns quite like that before, but he couldn’t manage to be intrigued by it, as his full attention was focused on the person on the other side of the window.

The man was beautiful: a bit taller than him, built like a statue, and so perfectly proportioned that he looked like a doll. His hair looked golden in the candlelight, and for a brief instant Tony had to wonder if it was Fate who had brought them together that night.

Dum-e buzzed softly beside him, and he shushed him urgently.

“Stay here, ok?”

He didn’t wait for an answer before flying up to the window and slipping inside. The man had his back turned to him, too busy working on his drawing, so Tony hid behind the book page as his heart beat wildly in his chest. All of a sudden, he had an idea.

Drawing his sword, he quickly slashed a hole in the page, leaning through the opening.

“May I… cut in?”

Steve gasped and jumped up, startled, only for his feet to tangle up in the edge of the page and send him flat on his ass. He quickly rolled into a crouch before standing up, glaring at the stranger.

“What are you-”

He trailed off in shock as the fairy flew down from his book and towards him. He looked a bit alarmed and extremely apologetic, but Steve was too busy trying not gape to really notice.

There was a fairy in his bedroom. A real, living fairy. His eyes snapped up to his book. Was this a hallucination? Had the drawing come to life and-

“Hey!” he exclaimed angrily. “Did you just cut my book?”

The stranger froze, looking panicked. His wings fluttered anxiously, and he kept glancing between Steve and the torn-up page.

Then he started rambling, clearly embarrassed. “I’m sorry! I just saw you in here, and you look really pretty so I wanted to talk to you, and then I noticed the book and I thought- I mean, the pun came to mind, you know? ‘May I cut in?’ and actually… uh, cutting in.” He grimaced. “I’m sorry. I have no self-restraint. But I can fix it!”

Steve stared at him in silence for a good few seconds, trying to parse the cascade of words that had just left the stranger’s mouth. They guy looked mortified, and a blush was steadily climbing up his cheeks.

Steve tried to focus on the thing that actually mattered first.

“You can fix it?”

The fairy nodded, relieved, and flew up to inspect the cut. Warily, Steve walked closer to see what he was doing.

The guy grabbed the two sides of the torn page, examining them and placing them close together to match the edges. He took a deep breath and blew a gust of what seemed to be glitter onto the page.

Steve was about to yell at him again when the glitter started swirling around the cut, and the page magically stitched itself together.

The fairy smiled triumphantly and fluttered down to stand before Steve.

“Done! Told you I could fix it.”

Steve gaped at him, completely flabbergasted.

“You have magic!”

The guy tilted his head to the side, confused. “Yeah. Don’t you?”

“No!”

“That’s weird,” the guy muttered. “I’ve never met fairies who didn’t have magic.”

“I’m not a fairy,” Steve explained. Then, when he realized he still hadn’t introduced himself, he offered his hand for a handshake. “My name’s Steven, but you can call me Steve.”

The fairy beamed at him, taking his hand. “Steve. What a lovely name. I’m Anthony, but my friends call me Tony.”

Tony’s hands were very warm, and… they made Steve feel tingly. He’d never held hands with someone the same size as him. It was weird. Unusual. But he liked it, he decided, only belatedly realizing he still hadn’t dropped Tony’s hand. Blushing furiously, he immediately let go as if he’d been burned, and Tony did the same.

Tony cleared his throat. “So, you’re not a fairy?”

“No,” Steve replied, mournfully. “A witch gave my mom a flower, and when it bloomed I was inside it.”

“That’s so cool!” Tony said, his wings fluttering in excitement. “I’ve never met someone like you before!”

Steve snorted. “Yeah, me neither. I thought… well, I always thought I was the only little person in the world.”

The idea still made him feel as lonely as it always had, and Steve suddenly wasn’t as excited anymore. He lowered his eyes, feeling weirdly self-conscious and not wanting Tony to notice.

Sure, fairies were real, but he wasn’t one of them either: not a human, and not a fairy. He’d always be alone.

All of a sudden, Tony appeared in front of him, placing a hand under his chin and gently lifting his face up.

“Come on now, none of that. You’re way too pretty to be sad, Steve.”

Steve would have been annoyed by the remark, but there was a soft glint in Tony’s eyes that told him he was just joking, and Steve found himself smiling without meaning to.

Plus, Tony’s face was awfully close to his. The boy's eyes were so, so brown, and Steve could feel the soft puffs of air as Tony breathed. Tony’s eyes flickered down to Steve’s mouth, and he leaned forward almost unconsciously, closing his eyes, and-

An angry buzzing broke the spell, making Steve jump about half a foot in the air as he and Tony broke apart.

Tony groaned, moving towards the window.

“Don’t worry, that’s just Dum-e, my bumblebee. I left him out on the windowsill and he doesn’t like to stay in one place too long.”

Steve couldn’t help but laugh a bit at that, more out of disbelief than anything, as he followed Tony outside.

The bumblebee was pacing around, buzzing anxiously at Tony.

“Yeah, yeah, I hear ya, you worry bug. Steve, meet Dum-e. Dum-e, Steve.”

The bumblebee buzzed excitedly, moving closer to Steve to cautiously inspect him. Steve allowed it with a smile.

“Hey, Dum-e! Aren’t you a pretty bumble?”

Dum-e seemed to like that, buzzing again and shimmying excitedly.

“Hey, uh,” Tony started, moving closer to Steve. “Would you like to go for a spin?”

Before Steve could reply, Tony jumped up, straddling Dum-e. He held a hand out in a silent invite, smiling at Steve.

Steve only hesitated for a second before grabbing Tony’s hand and jumping on as well, holding onto Tony’s waist when Dum-e began to lift off the ground.

Tony grabbed onto Dum-e’s neck, patting Steve’s arms and grinning at him. “Hold on tight, ok?”

Steve nodded, holding Tony even closer as they began to move forwards.

When Dum-e jumped from the windowsill, Steve couldn’t stop the surprised yelp that left his mouth. The sound made Tony laugh, so Steve pinched him in retaliation.

“I’ve never flown before!” he exclaimed. “It was unexpected.”

Tony turned around just enough to wink at him, before facing forwards again and rubbing his hands together. That caused some of the glitter from earlier – was that his magic? – to fall onto Dum-e, who let out an excited buzz and raced off with a lot more speed than before.

Steve gasped and held on tighter for a second, squeezing his eyes shut as his heart beat wildly in his chest. It only lasted for a moment, and soon enough he cracked one eye open to take in the scenery.

Everything looked so much tinier from the sky, with the farm and the trees quickly turning into shapeless blurs as Dum-e flew away. Steve’s heart skipped a beat when he realized that, for the first time in his life, he didn’t feel as tiny and hopeless anymore, almost as if the shift in perspective had turned everything he knew upside down.

He was wrenched from his thoughts when Dum-e dove down, twisting and turning in a death-defying dance. He couldn’t help a shout of surprise that turned into a laugh halfway through, and before even realizing it he was cheering Dum-e on, begging him to go faster as the thrill of the flight overpowered the fear.

Tony took them through the woods, racing around the trees, before dropping down to pass a river, and then flying up again towards the stars.

Steve couldn’t stop laughing, happiness and excitement making him feel lighter than he ever had. He’d never felt this free, this… this powerful in his life.

“If this is what flying feels like, I never want to stop,” he said, loud enough to be heard over the wind howling in his face. The smile didn’t disappear from his face, but it dimmed a little as he sighed wistfully. “I wish I had wings.”

Tony laughed in delight, turning around to wink at Steve.

“Maybe one day you will, but for now, let me be your wings!”

Steve smiled softly, hiding his face in Tony’s shoulder, and held on tight, enjoying the freedom of racing through the air and leaving all his worries behind.

With the wind caressing his hair and the warmth of Tony present and solid in his arms, Steve was sure that he’d never been as happy as he was right at that moment.

***

When Dum-e finally landed on his window, Steve almost didn’t want to get off.

“That was… that was…” he cut himself off, not knowing how to properly describe what he was feeling.

Tony laughed, leaning back on Steve’s chest, still safely encircled by his arms.

“I know, right? My dad doesn’t like me flying on a bumble, but it’s just too much fun!”

Steve nodded, still riding the adrenaline high from their flight. Blushing furiously, he placed a soft kiss on the side of Tony’s neck before detangling himself and jumping onto the ground.

He looked up, pleased to see that Tony’s face was probably redder than is own.

“Thank you for the ride, Tony.”

Tony jumped off too, coming to stand face to face with him.

“You’re welcome,” he replied warmly. Then, more hesitantly, “Steve, I… something incredible happened to me tonight. Something I never want to forget. I’ve never felt this way towards- towards anyone, really.”

“I know,” Steve replied. His heart felt too big for his chest, like it was almost bursting from all the happiness inside. “I… I felt that too.” His hands moved to the back of his neck to fumble with his necklace, taking it off before offering it to Tony. “My mom made this for me, when I was little.”

Carefully, he slid it over Tony’s head, placing it around his neck. Tony gently touched the chain, before taking the charm in his hands.

“This is… it’s a forget-me-not,” he gasped softly, examining the tiny flower encased in a glass bubble.

He looked up at Steve with what looked like pure awe in his eyes. Tony quickly removed one of his rings, a golden band with a pale blue gem, and slid it onto one of Steve’s fingers.

“This is a special jewel,” he explained softly, letting Steve admire the ring. “I made it myself. I use it to store some of my magic when I’m working in my lab. See? It responds to me.”

Tony’s hand hovered over the ring, and the jewel started to glow, casting their faces in the most beautiful shade of blue.

Steve sucked in a shaky breath. “Tony, this is…”

“I want you to have it,” Tony interrupted him firmly. “That way, you’ll always have a piece of me close to you.”

That sent a rush of heat cursing through Steve, making his heart flutter and his lips curve into a smile. Tony smiled back at him, so soft and open, and they started to lean in again, closing their eyes and holding their breath, and…

“Anthony!”

Tony froze. His eyes went wide in shock, before he quickly grabbed Steve’s hand and hurried inside.

Crouching behind the window, he hissed, “What’s my father doing here?”

Steve glanced at him, startled. “You dad is here? Why on earth-?”

“It’s a long story,” Tony groaned, letting his head bang on the window. “It’s the Golding of the Leaves tonight, and the king and queen of the fairies have to guide the celebrations. That’s why they’re here.”

“Oh,” Steve said. That sounded reasonable. Then Tony’s words actually registered, and he quickly turned towards him, grabbing his arms. “You’re the prince?!”

“Uh,” Tony started, grimacing. “Yes?”

“Oh, Gods.” Steve felt lightheaded. The prince. Tony was the prince of fairies, and he liked Steve. There was no way his life had just gotten that crazy.

He was probably hallucinating like he thought. That seemed like a logical explanation.

“Anthony!”

Dum-e buzzed anxiously, and Tony swore softly before turning towards Steve again.

“I really have to go now, but I promise I’ll come back tomorrow.” He hesitated. “Please tell me I can come back tomorrow?”

“You- I’m-” Steve struggled for a second, before blurting out, “Yes! Yes of course, I…”

Tony beamed at him, launching himself in Steve’s arms and hugging him tightly.

“I can’t wait!” he exclaimed, tightening his arms around Steve’s neck.

Steve returned the embrace, giddy, and then picked Tony up and twirled him around for good measure.

When he set him back on his feet, Tony was smiling so wide that Steve felt his heart skip a beat.

“To tomorrow, then,” he said, kissing Steve on the cheek before jumping on his bumble and flying off in the direction of his dad’s voice.

Steve watched him go, still reeling from everything that had happened. He gently touched the ring that Tony had given him, smiling as it glowed again and reveling in the happiness it made him feel before closing the window and heading to bed.

His cheek, where Tony had given him a kiss, didn’t stop tingling for the rest of the night.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for reading!
> 
> This story was a lot of fun to write, but trying to bend Steve and Tony's characterization to work with the "exceedingly dramatic" vibe of the Thumbelina movie was... an Experience lol.  
> So yes, I know this is _sliiiightly_ OOC. But who cares? If my man Cornelius can be out there risking his life for a girl he met 12 minutes prior, my boys can surely fall in love and almost kiss twice in the span of half an hour, dammit! 
> 
> PS: If you want to read more of this AU, I've got a few more chapters in the works already and I'll be adding them once I'm finished writing the whole thing. Subscribe to this work if you're interested!
> 
> Many thanks to [Gabby](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gabby227) and [@ArtInMotion](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArtInMotion) for the beta, and as always [@FreyaS](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreyaS) literally saved me AND this fic by brainstorming with me and listening to my ramblings like the amazing friend she is.
> 
> You can find me on tumblr [@lunaticalwriter](http://lunaticalwriter.tumblr.com/).
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated!


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